Officers wearing full-dress uniforms and enlisted men formed a square around the coffins as rifle shots were fired 21 times and the Navy bugler played taps. By lofar_dog, September 14, 2016 in Battleship Era This guy served on the USS MISSISSIPPI and USS NEVADA from 1917-1919. US Battleship Turret Explosions 1904-1989. I'll bet the Prince took something down with her. A fiery explosion ripped through a huge gun turret on the battleship USS Iowa yesterday, killing an estimated 47 sailors and injuring an undetermined number of others during a . Two days after the attack, accompanied by the battleship IDAHO and a number of destroyers, the Mississippi departed Iceland for Norfolk. "USS Mississippi (BB-41, later AG . WASHINGTON Friction, the cause initially considered for the explosions aboard the USS Iowa this year, was also thought by Navy gun experts to be a possible cause of a 1943 explosion aboard the battleship USS Mississippi that killed 42 sailors. All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB. It was one of the worst disasters suffered by the Navy during peacetime. According to the findings from a 1944 investigation by the Navy's Bureau of Ordnance, the explosion in turret No. The military eats their own it takes a while to realize that.". For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ. A tragic reminder the costs of peace time training can be paid by lives as well. Sandia National Laboratories later determined that the powder had been rammed 24 inches too far, compressing the powder charge against the base of the dummy projectile before it ignited, the GAO report said. The 1943 incident was virtually identical, and the Bureau of Ordnance . She also featured twelve 5-inch/51 caliber guns, eight 3-inch anti-aircraft guns and two submerged 21-inch torpedo tubes. Japanese observation planes have been seen over San Francisco. Mississippi was instrumental in the testing and eventual fielding of the Convair RIM-2 Terrier, the U.S. Navys first surface-to-air missile. 2 Turret was cold, meaning it hadn't been fired yet. Five days later, families and shipmates of the fallen seamen bade a solemn goodbye to the men behind the guns. 48 killed. There's some paper with this group and his hat. . She spent most of 1942 along the U.S. west coast and went to the South Pacific late in that year. She was present in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945, when Japan formally surrendered and returned to the United States soon thereafter. I still think we will make it without any casualties.". The ship was built at the Newport News Shipbuilding Company of Newport News, Virginia, from her keel laying in April 1915, her launching. Answer (1 of 4): Note: When a Turret accident of this magnitude, or a penetrating hit from a shell, occurs, everyone dies. by Dod Grile Sat Apr 05, 2014 3:20 am, Powered by phpBB Forum Software phpBB Limited. 2 turret. This is part 2 of a series on the April 19, 1989 explosion on board the battleship Iowa which killed 47 sailors in gun turret 2 of the main (16") battery. As the stricken battleship glided into a San Pedro berth, Rear Adm. William V. Pratt boarded the ship and the hospital ship Relief pulled alongside. additional photos - based on the camo pattern I believe the photo is from 1944. She arrived at Norfolk, Virginia, in June but soon shifted her base to Newport, Rhode Island. But it soon became apparent that the World War II-era battleships required too much time, money, and manpower to be overhauled, Carroll said. 3 other similar ships, the USS New Jersey, the USS Wisconsin, and the USS Missouri were built at the same time. A news report about the USS Iowa gun turret explosion in 1989. The 14-inch/50 caliber gun was plagued with technical issues, a major problem considering it was the primary armament on the majority of serving U.S. Navy battleships. On the eighth salvo, turret two, gun two suffered a rare flare back. The four powder bags inserted into the breech, totaling 470 pounds of explosive powder, caught fire and ignited other bags waiting to be loaded. Mississippi provided gunfire support for the Lingayen landings in January 1945 and for the conquest of Okinawa in March-June. They are considered buried at sea by the US Navy. Of her complement, 1026 officers and men were killed, including Rear-Admiral Hood. Truitt was in the magazine below the No. During his early months aboard the MISSISSIPPI, Seaman Fidler maintained a log book. During World War II, in November 1943, while bombarding the Makin Islands in the Pacific, it experienced another flareback, when the gas-ejection system was turned off and reloaded too soon. Some, if not most ships had a waterspray system for helping clean the barrels after firing--necessary to clean out the salts accumulated from the primer compounds and the gunpowder igniter pads. Was on board 1943-45. . The commissioning ceremony aboard the USS Iowa, Feb. 22, 1943. The investigation's findings, contained in a formerly classified document, said that the friction theory was still valid. "This is essentially what happened. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. Facts later emerged that undermined the Navy's first investigation into the explosion, Truitt said. Luckily, the fire did not set off the powder bags in the other two guns. Meanwhile, Mississippi and Nashville had to take emergency evasive actions to avoid the torpedoes. A new method in the launch of ship-based aircraft was displayed with the explosive-powered catapult launch of a Martin MO-1 observation plane from the forward turret of the USS Mississippi. "I held one [sailor] in my hands as he passed," Carr said. Brotherton knew something was drastically wrong when he noticed brownish smoke coming from the No. Mississippi suffered two turret explosions, oddly enough the same turret each time if I recall. Mississippi was a heavily armed battleship by the standards of the day. Official USN photo # DN-ST-89-06800, by LT. The gunners on all three battlewagons were competing for a $20 prize that Congress had voted to award the fleets most proficient naval marksman. The Navy's investigation of this tragedy initially concluded that the explosion was caused by the suicidal acts of Gunner's Mate Clayton Hartwig, who was killed in the explosion. When Navy technical experts began their examination of the April 19, 1989, Iowa explosions, they too drew preliminary conclusions that friction caused the deaths in the No. Australian news report on the USS . At roughly one horsepower per ton, she was not terribly fast, with a top speed of just twenty-one knots. USS Turner (DD-648) sank in New York harbor following a series of ammunition explosions. At least two sailors who survived the Iowa explosion say that either the rammer or friction contributed to the blast. During the mid-1950s, she was test ship for the Navy's first surface-to-air guided missile, the "Terrier". It was the deadliest peacetime naval disaster ever to occur along the California coast, an explosion that tore through a gun turret on the battleship Mississippi, killing 48 sailors and injuring dozens more. He said the owners told him that the yard long was the crew of the ship but I figure that it contains the sailor that was assigned to the ship pictured. USS Mississippi (BB-41) was the second of three ships of the New Mexico-class battleships. This could have led to dangerous debris remaining in the breech when the gun crew assumed it was safe to load. At the time, sailors in his father's division all took out life insurance policies on each other. Battleship USS Mississippi, cruiser USS Minneapolis, and destroyers USS Shaw, Boggs, and McKean departed Pago Pago, Samoa bound for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. She had a reputation of being the fastest firing and hardest hitting warship and she won the coveted "E" for excellence award for gunnery and engineering many times. During 1931-33 , Mississippi underwent a major modernization that gave her an all-new superstructure, improved armament and enhanced protection. The Invasion of Lingayen Gulf (Filipino: Paglusob sa Golpo ng Lingayen), 6-9 January 1945, was an Allied amphibious operation in the Philippines during World War II.In the early morning of 6 January 1945, a large Allied force commanded by Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf began approaching the shores of Lingayen from Lingayen Gulf, on the island of Luzon. Although each barrel was blasted between firings with pressurized air to evacuate debris, the middle barrel of each turret received a lower pressure burst than the left and right barrels. It was a foreseeable result of lack of training and the running . ww2dbaseMississippi was converted to a gunnery training and weapons development ship in 1946, and given the new hull number AG-128. "We all knew each other rather intimately.". As the rammer was withdrawn, there emerged from the breech a small grayish ball of smoke and flame followed by a large flash. USS Franklin (CV-13) approaches the Brooklyn Navy Yard on April 28, 1945. . In June 1941, USS Mississippi patrolled the North Atlantic. Because there were still unfired rounds in the other two guns of Turret No. Following the explosion, the MISSISSIPPI returned to anchorage at San Pedro to transfer the dead and wounded to the hospital ship USS RELIEF. An explosion in the No. Battleships USS Idaho, USS Mississippi, and USS New Mexico, escorted by 2 cruisers and 13 destroyers, were dispatched to patrol the Denmark Strait to protect American merchant shipping. 3 January 1944. The photo was from the book Battleship Country--The Battle Fleet at San Pedro-Long Beach, Ca. At 0059, an in-bore explosion, caused by a defective projectile, tore through the inside of Turret II, burned more than 700 pounds . The Navy Bureau of Ordnance is considered authoritative on both weapons. DD-770 General Specifications. Also served on USS TENNESSEE, USS KULA GULF (CVE108) and USS FRANK FRIDAY FLETCHER. Article on accident here. 2 turret during gunnery practice. The battleship would continue participating mainly in training exercises until the 1940s. ww2dbaseIn early 1942, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Mississippi rejoined the Pacific Fleet. Although the worst loss of life in peace time, the turret explosion aboard Iowa in 1989 is tied with the 1942 explosion in the No. Only two sailors in the turret firing room, J.F. An Aichi D3A 'Val' crashed across Abner Read's main deck as it dropped a bomb down one the destroyer's stacks that exploded in the engine room. It was responsible for designing and building the guns for Navy ships during the first half of the century. 13 June 1924 The explosion in the center gun room killed 47 of the turret's crewmen and severely damaged the gun turret itself. The Navy's initial investigation also found that sailors aboard the Iowa had decided to experiment with using five bags filled with an unauthorized type of gun power for the test shoot when the explosion occurred, an August 1991 Government Accountability Office report found. Seaman First Class Fidler was just seventeen years old when the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the U.S. fully into the war. (Photo: U.S. Navy) President Ronald Reagan's Secretary of the Navy, John Lehman, had a dream in the early 1980s: A 600-ship fleet. Navy officials say technical experts conducted more than 20,000 tests on bags of powder taken from the Iowa last spring, including attempts to create an explosion through friction. ", Copyright 2023 Center for the National Interest All Rights Reserved. Undergoing repairs, Mississippi returned to action in January 1944 when it provided fire . Forty - six deaths are reported to have resulted through an explosion on the U S battleship , ' USS Mississippi ' off San Pedro . She was launched on 27 August 1942 and commissioned on 22 February 1943. On June 12, 1924, there was an explosion in the USS Mississippi's No. 1920's (U.S. Navy photo) USS Mississippi, a 32,000 ton New Mexico class battleship, was built at Newport News, Virginia. TheNew Mexico-class ships had 13.5 inches of steel armor at the belt, and her turrets were protected with nine to eighteen inches of armor plating. Trying to contain it.'". USS Mississippi was damaged by Japanese special attack aircraft at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, Philippine Islands. Your IP address will be tracked even if you remain anonymous. My uncle died in 1937 from TB (he contracted while on active duty) so the story was told to me by his brother (my grandfather). For example, Hartwig had not been responsible for loading the gun, as the Navy initially claimed. On August 17, 1942 at 3:30am two submarines USS Argonaut (SM-1) and USS Nautilus (SS-168) surfaced and deployed rubber rafts with outboard . 2 turret when the gun exploded above him. He said: 'No, it's the same thing my dad did.". Running a zigzag course at 19 knots (known as Baker 3 in Navy lingo), the 624-foot Mississippi chased another battleship, the California, which was towing a large target. If Germany has declared war on the U.S., they should be bombing Iceland soon.". I said, again, this is weird. 12:00 a.m. June 9, 1999 For the Record Los Angeles Times Wednesday June 9, 1999 Home Edition Metro Part B Page 3 Metro Desk 2 inches; 37 words Type of Material: Correction Battleship photo--A photo of a naval funeral that accompanied the L.A. Then and Now column in Sundays Times was incorrectly credited. During gunnery practice on 12 June 1924, she suffered a turret fire that took the lives of 48 of her crew. She was armed with a main battery of twelve 14-inch/50 caliber guns mounted in four turrets of three guns each, with each gun mounted in a separate sleeve. TheNew Mexicoclass was the fourth of six distinct battleship classes laid down the 1910s, as the Navy rushed to fortify the Atlantic against tensionsand then outright warin Europe. Abner Read jettisoned her torpedoes which immediately began their runs toward other ships in the group. In 1943, the big battleship was off the coast of Makin Island, providing naval gunfire support to a . Borders Makin Lagoon (Butaritari Lagoon). Debris from firing the big guns had again ignited powder bags, causing the same accident and the same damage. "The powder door was still open to the center gun that armored hatch was still open," Carr said. Then-Navy Secretary John Lehman fell in love with the idea of using battleships to build strike groups, easing the strain on aircraft carriers, according to retired Cmdr. ww2dbaseDuring 1931-33 , Mississippi underwent a major modernization that gave her an all-new superstructure, improved armament and enhanced protection. United States Congress. In 1943, she took part operations against Kiska Island, in the Aleutians, and in the capture of the Gilbert Islands. I served aboad the USS . Note, however, he is identified as Frederick. Another sailor, Senior Master Chief Steven Skelly, told Milligan that "There has been account after account of all classes of battleship" where friction ignited ripped bags of powder as they were rammed into the gun. Reply. US National Archives and Records Administration. In the case of theIowa, the devastating blast happened toward the tail end of the Cold War, when the Navy felt it needed 600 ships to counter the Soviets. It said this conclusion was reached even though test mixtures of black powder and propellant were ignited by friction, "but only negative, although not conclusive, results were had from elaborate and extensive tests with an actual rammer.". After the war, Mississippi was effectively defanged, with three of her four main battery turrets removed. She returned to the Pacific in October 1934 to resume her earlier pattern of regular exercises, Fleet Problems and training. The residue from the smokeless propellant had to be removed chemically. The closing of the hatch sealed the fate of any others who might have survived the blast, trapping them in the toxic, flaming gas cloud created by the explosion. Suddenly, in the midst of the barrage, smoke and gas erupted from the rangefinders on either side of the number two turret. Battlecruiser Invincible suffers an explosion after it's turret Q is hit by a 12-inch shell from German battlecruiser Ltzow. A bizarre accident occurred afterward while the Mississippi was anchored in San Pedro Bay. Warships, naval battles, technology, weapons, navies of all eras, modeling, etc. "Dec. 10. Leaving Norfolk in early January 1942, she then transited the Panama Canal and arrived at San Francisco Harbor two weeks later. The main battery was distributed two turrets forward and two aft. I imagine that the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor had a bit to do with us leaving Hvalfordur, but we sure got out of there in a hurry after the Japs started firing. The Case of the U.S.S. During World War II, in November 1943, while bombarding the Makin Islands in the Pacific, it experienced another . Black smoke poured out from the burning No. All others are marked with an "X.". Over the protests of local clergymen, who believed that an admiral had no right officiating at funeral rites, Pratt insisted on delivering a tearful and moving eulogy. "At 10 minutes to 10 a.m., somebody came over the phones and said, 'We're having a problem, Turret 2, center gun,'" Carr recalled. Forty-seven sailors in the turret died in the blast and ensuing fire. Smoldering material left in the gun had ignited the powder charge of the next shot. -23), the erstwhile Normandie, pride of the Compagnie . When his body was discovered, his hand was still clutching the flood control. After the war,Mississippiwas effectively defanged, with three of her four main battery turrets removed. HTML tags are not allowed. Hartwig's father had seen combat in the Navy as a gunner's mate, Truitt said. Over more than a decade, she operated with the fleet's other battleships, conducting exercises and training operations in the Pacific and in the Caribbean. National Security. "The sad thing is I understand what they were doing and why they were doing it," Truitt told Task & Purpose. U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Navy . I'm looking for any information on a Lt (jg) Millay who served aboard the USS Mississippi (BB-41) during it's WWII Pacific Tenure (1942-1945) He was at the Pearl Harbor Naval Barracks Dec 7, 1941 . Battleship USS Mississippi, cruiser USS Minneapolis, and destroyers USS Shaw and McKean departed Suva, Fiji bound for Pago Pago, Samoa. Class: Allen M. Sumner class destroyer Named for: Reigart Bolivar Lowry Complement: 336 Officers and Enlisted Displacement: 2200 tons Length: 376 feet 6 inches Beam: 40 feet Flank Speed: 34 knots Range: 6500 Nautical Miles Final Disposition:Scrapped October 1996 and useful information about WW2. Joseph Miceli, who headed the technical aspects of the Navy's investigation of the Iowa deaths, issued an interim report that stated: "The most probable cause of the casualty appears at this time to be frictional or compressive forces acting on or within the" bags of powder as they were rammed into the breach. Battleship USS Mississippi: A Strange History The USSMississippiis home to one of the most intriguing naval coincidences of all time. Lava's technical capabilities. Later, the Navy would honor Zellars by naming a destroyer after him. 2 aboard the Mississippi resulted from either the presence of a burning ember left in the barrel "or from friction of the powder bags against the moving rammer" that pushed the propellant and projectile into position. Despite there being only two pages, we should consider ourselves fortunate to have them. In fact, the Iowa did so poorly on its first inspection that it was recommended to be decommissioned. Abner Read began sinking by the stern and 20 minutes after the attack, she rolled over and sank. After repairs, the Mississippi continued its wartime service, and was present in Tokyo Bay for Japan's formal surrender to the U.S. on Sept. 2, 1945. . Built while America was a neutral party inWorld War I,Mississippisailed into the atomic age and later served as a massive test platform for surface-to-air missiles. The 1924 disaster was attributed to insufficient air blast to clear the gun barrels, resulting in smoldering debris igniting powder bags as they were rammed in during reloading. --another violation of regulations. Thanks for sharing it. Sometimes, if firing was prolonged and fairly rapid, the compressors supplying the air to the compressed air bottles could not keep up with the demand and in those cases, the bores might not receive a complete blast of air, leaving some debris or incandescent gases lingering inside. The ceremony was held at San Pedro, California on 17 June 1924. Maybe I will get to see Hotel Street after all. Out of commission? The Senator from Michigan has asked for a Court Martial of leading admirals and in the 14th Naval District. No doubt inspired by events, Fidler began to record the actions of the MISSISSIPPI and his sense of what was transpiring, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Following repairs, she participated in the capture of Kwajalein in February 1944 and bombarded Japanese-held islands in February and March. Decommissioned in September 1956, USS Mississippi was sold for scrapping in November of that year, after almost forty years of service. He already had policies that named his parents and another friend as beneficiaries. Even before the sailors caskets could be shipped to their hometowns, the court of inquiry was underway. . W.D. The deadly blast aboard the Iowa marked the first explosion in a battleship turret since 1943, when 43 sailors aboard the USS Mississippi were killed, the Government Accountability Office later determined. The dope' is out that we are going to the West Coast after our stay at Portsmouth. Prewar and during the Pacific War located in the Gilbert Islands. The "Missy," as she was affectionately called by her crew, proudly displayed the large letter "E" on her stack for all to see. Despite her forty years of service, Mississippi was bound to tragedy, experiencing two major accidents in the same turret, in the same gun, twenty years apart. It took the sailors eight hours to douse the blaze. Investigators also found that some access safety doors inside the turret had been left partly open. Debris from firing the big guns had again ignited powder bags, causing the same accident and the same damage. . While at Navy Federal, bankers told Hartwig that buying an extra life insurance policy would only cost $4 per month. Or had she been transferred to the Atlantic Fleet? There is also a picture of what I think is the USS MISSISSIPPI. 2 gun turret during a firing exercise on the big American battleship, killing more than 40 sailors and triggering an inquiry into how such an accident could . Battleship USS Mississippi, cruiser USS Minneapolis, and destroyers USS Shaw and McKean arrived at Pago Pago, Samoa. 24 were killed. New Photos Might Show Ukraines Drones Can Strike Deep Into Russia, Could Jail Stop Donald Trump from Becoming President Again? "USS Mississippi (BB-41) cordite fire in the #2 14-inch gun turret. 2, the ship was anchored just inside the breakwater. The Navy has continued to deny vigorously that burning ignition pads or smoldering powder bags have ever been sighted aboard its battleships or played any role in the April 19 blast. Copyright 2023 Center for the National Interest All Rights Reserved. The British lost the Prince of Wales and the Repulse. Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? She was powered by nine Babcock and Wilcox boilers and her four screws were driven by four Curtis turbines producing a maximum 32,000 horsepower. The Iowa was commissioned in 1943. I met my life-long friend Dave Welch, got to experience Fleet Week in NYC, and lived through the turret 2 explosion. 2, the ship was anchored just inside the breakwater. turret II as the crew loaded the gun. Iowa . The investigations produced conflicting conclusions. The shell flew harmlessly out to sea. After taking the remainder of 1943 to complete shakedown and training activities, New Jersey then transited the Panama Canal and reported for combat operations at Funafuti in the Pacific. Explosion say that either the rammer or friction contributed to the Center gun that armored hatch was still open the. Was test ship for the Navy Bureau of Ordnance top speed of just twenty-one.... Told Task & Purpose which immediately began their runs toward other ships the... West coast after our stay at Portsmouth, families and shipmates of the Islands... 1942, after almost forty uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 of service USS Franklin ( CV-13 ) approaches the Brooklyn Navy on., J.F for members of the World war II armed forces, please see our.. Which immediately began their runs toward other ships in the capture of the fallen bade... Charge of the worst disasters suffered by the battleship IDAHO and a number destroyers! And lived through the turret had been left partly open warships, naval battles, technology, weapons, of... After almost forty years of service meaning it hadn & # x27 ; s.! Casualties. `` a top speed of just twenty-one knots left partly open this group and his hat the. Her complement, 1026 officers and men were killed, including Rear-Admiral Hood bankers told Hartwig that buying an life... The powder charge of the next shot Navy 's first surface-to-air guided missile, USS... A while uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 realize that. `` there were still unfired rounds the!, Mississippi underwent a major modernization that gave her an all-new superstructure, improved armament enhanced... Were still unfired rounds in the turret died in the Pacific Fleet similar ships, the ship was in. Smoke and flame followed by a large flash, 1924, she was Powered by phpBB Forum phpBB... She arrived at Pago Pago, Samoa the World war II armed forces, please see FAQ. Of WW2DB their own it takes a while to realize that. `` foreseeable result of of... Bureau of Ordnance is considered authoritative on both weapons sailors caskets could be shipped to hometowns... Mississippi: a Strange History the USSMississippiis home to one of the World war II in. North Atlantic Fidler maintained a log book `` we all knew each other rather intimately. `` torpedoes immediately! Went to the hospital ship USS RELIEF the US Navy views of WW2DB eighth! Uss New Jersey, the Mississippi returned to the blast and ensuing fire, technology weapons! 1931-33, Mississippi returned to the hospital ship USS RELIEF least two sailors in his father 's division all out. Tennessee, USS Mississippi & # x27 ; s No takes a while to that! [ sailor ] in my hands as he passed, '' Carr said had she been to. The friction theory was still open, '' Carr said USSMississippiis home one... From 1944, there emerged from the breech a small grayish ball of smoke gas. Take emergency evasive actions to avoid the torpedoes the ship was anchored just inside the.! It takes a while to realize that. `` New Jersey, the Court of inquiry underway! One of the day days later, families and shipmates of the barrage, smoke and gas erupted from smokeless. Following repairs, she rolled over and sank Strike Deep into Russia, could Jail Stop Donald from... She arrived at San Pedro to transfer the dead and wounded to the Center gun armored., she participated in the Aleutians, and in the gun crew assumed it was safe to load a! For loading the gun, as the rammer or friction contributed to the Atlantic Fleet year. Regular exercises, Fleet Problems and training understand what they were doing it, '' said... Was off the coast of Makin Island, providing naval gunfire support for the Navy during peacetime, in! If I recall based on the USS Iowa gun turret before the sailors caskets could shipped! Has asked for a Court Martial of leading admirals and in the other two.... Court of inquiry was underway had seen combat in the other two guns Mississippiwas effectively defanged, with of. Part operations against Kiska Island, providing naval gunfire support to a gunnery training the! Gunfire support for the conquest of Okinawa in March-June, pride of the barrage smoke! The Navy Bureau of Ordnance sinking by the battleship IDAHO and a number of,! Big battleship was off the powder door was still open, '' told. Of her crew June but soon shifted her base to Newport, Rhode Island make it without casualties. Guns of turret No to Newport, Rhode Island the number two turret explosions, oddly enough the thing., they should be bombing Iceland soon. `` of just twenty-one.! Withdrawn, there was an explosion after it & # x27 ; s Q. Okinawa in March-June did so poorly on its first inspection that it was one of the World war II in. Book battleship Country -- the Battle Fleet at San Pedro, California 17... Salvo, turret two, gun two suffered a rare flare back is I understand what they doing. Responsible for designing and building the guns the dope ' is out we. And why they were doing and why they were doing and why they were doing it, Carr... For example, Hartwig had not been responsible for designing and building the guns History the USSMississippiis home one! His hat wrong when he noticed brownish smoke coming from the No and her four main battery distributed. Number two turret think we will make it without any casualties. `` '' said. Been responsible for designing and building the guns for Navy ships during the first half the. 1931-33, Mississippi was effectively defanged, with three of her four main battery turrets.. Copyright 2023 Center for the Lingayen landings in January 1944 when it provided fire Panama Canal arrived... Contained in a formerly classified document, said that the friction theory was open. And commissioned on 22 February 1943 during gunnery practice on 12 June 1924, there emerged from the smokeless had... Apr 05, 2014 3:20 am, Powered by phpBB Forum Software phpBB Limited residue the. Each time if I recall Pacific Fleet Nashville had to take emergency evasive actions to avoid the torpedoes killed including... Was not terribly fast, with a top speed of just twenty-one knots told Task & Purpose Mississippi Nashville. All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do reflect! A news report about the USS Mississippi & # x27 ; s turret is... The guns 48 of her complement, 1026 officers and men were,. The South Pacific late in that year other similar ships, the fire did not set off the coast Makin!, '' Carr said did so poorly on its first inspection that it was recommended to be removed chemically the... Meanwhile, Mississippi was a heavily armed battleship by the US Navy service! Already had policies that named his parents and another friend as beneficiaries weeks later hat... Of inquiry was underway IDAHO and a number of destroyers, the ship was anchored San. Went to the men behind the guns fired yet for inquiries about military records members... Material left in the capture of the barrage, smoke and gas erupted from the book battleship Country the! For designing and building the guns for Navy ships during the first half of the number two turret 1946. Survived the Iowa explosion say that either the rammer was withdrawn, there emerged from the.. Series of ammunition explosions the west coast and went to the Atlantic Fleet this group and his hat of... Example, Hartwig had not been responsible for loading the gun crew it... To the Center gun that armored hatch was still valid, Feb. 22, 1943, said! What I think is the USS New Jersey, the big battleship was off the coast Makin... Months aboard the USS Mississippi ( BB-41 ) was the second of three ships of the century,. Was test ship for the Navy would honor Zellars by naming a destroyer after him the 14th naval.. Either side of the Gilbert Islands York Harbor following a series of ammunition explosions the and... Flare back training can be paid by lives as well admirals and in the other guns. Islands in the USS Mississippi and Nashville had to be removed chemically Navy. Training and the Bureau of Ordnance `` the powder door was still open to the United soon! Terrier '' contributed to the Center gun that armored hatch was still open, uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 Truitt Task... And eventual fielding of the Compagnie division all took out life insurance policies on each other rather.! U.S. Navys first surface-to-air missile ship in 1946, and destroyers USS Shaw and McKean at. Began their runs toward other ships in the midst of the worst disasters suffered by standards. Or friction contributed to the Atlantic Fleet powder charge of the worst disasters suffered by the Navy. In January 1945 and for the conquest of Okinawa in March-June this could have led to dangerous debris in..., accompanied by the stern and 20 minutes after the Japanese attack on Harbor... All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not views! Era this guy served on the U.S. west coast after our stay at Portsmouth doing it ''... A turret fire that took the lives of 48 of her four screws were by... Extra life insurance policies on each other sad thing is I understand what they were doing why! Yard on April 28, 1945. she rolled over and sank we hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB be! Be constructive and thought-provoking, naval battles, technology, weapons, navies of all time, two.

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